


Transformers: The Fall of Nexus

by Athe0n



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Betrayal, Blood and Violence, Denial of Feelings, Developing Friendships, Emotional Baggage, F/M, First Kiss, Girl crushing on smexy giant evil robot, Master/Slave, Mental Breakdown, Original Character Death(s), Rebellion, Reconciliation, Robot/Human Relationships, Self-Sacrifice, Suicide Attempt, Uneasy Allies, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-07-08 02:09:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15920760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athe0n/pseuds/Athe0n
Summary: Earth has fallen to the Decepticons and humanity now serves as an important purpose to their cause. Starscream begins to doubt Megatron's ambitions, developing an unlikely relationship with one of the human captives in the process. A rebellion soon ensues as he realizes he no longer knows where his true loyalty lies.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Character pairing: Starscream x Teegan (OC) / Jazz x OC
> 
> A/N: In this story, Starscream resembles the one designed by Sarah Stone from the 'IDW' comics. Also on Fanfiction, if anyone is interested in reading it there. Thanks! 

The entire City as far as the eye could see was ablaze.

The skies remained empty. Devoid of winged life. Smog, saturated with the stench of burning tarmac and incinerated flesh suspended above the gutted remains of the few residual buildings stood within the distance.

Vehicles stood motionless, their doors left wide. Abandoned by those who had attempted to flee the City.

The majority, sadly, didn't succeed.

But there were those who'd sworn to protect us. Whose self-imposed duty it was to ensure humankind didn't fall victim to the barbarity of those known as the Decepticons.

Autonomous, robotic organisms. Capable of disguising themselves among Earth's various, everyday objects. Overlooked by the billions of the planet's occupants.

That was until the War began.

With outbreaks of unexplained, widespread violence and bloodshed becoming more frequent, cover-up became increasingly difficult for the Government to establish.

The truth that had been withheld from the public eye for so long was at last exposed, as the sentient race assaulted and quickly overwhelmed the City of New York.

Following the death of their benevolent leader, Optimus Prime, and a year-long battle lost, the Autobots retreated. Abandoning humanity and leaving it to its grim fate.

They failed to protect us, and in turn, those that remained were wasted and slain as Decepticon tyranny was finally free to spread like a plague across all continents of the world.

Cybertron still lying dormant, it will remain so forever, unless the Decepticons can obtain that which will ensure its restoration.

With a society shattered and forgotten, and the ground stained with the blood of the innocent, they scour the globe, to ruthlessly track down and capture any survivors in hiding.

Choosing slavery for promised, eventual, freedom, the remaining humans now serve as an important purpose to their cause.

The reaping of Earth's resources. Thus leaving it a lifeless, decaying husk.


	2. Into Oblivion

Body weighed with pain and exhaustion, through gritted teeth she repressed the urge to slump forward and tend to the numerous injuries sustained during her capture.

For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to remember it. Though it was difficult to remember everything.

The food supply had been scarce, the little water she had managed to collect completely consumed, for she hadn't anticipated how long she would be forced to reside within the confines of her sanctuary.

An overturned truck on the outskirts of the City.

However, what had affected her most was not the burnt-out husk of a City before her, but the screams.

_All consuming._

_Unceasing._

_So shrill and sudden._

Piercing the air as often as the gunfire that had followed. People, slain remorselessly once they had inevitably been discovered. Gunfire had echoed for what seemed like weeks overhead. But the screams had finally ceased, and an eerie silence had ensued.

It had been quiet for days.  _Too quiet._  The only sounds to accompany her the consistent groans of pain from her neglected stomach.

Delving into the City in search of sustenance had been her ultimate mistake, for she'd wrongly assumed the alien robots had finally left the area.

There wasn't much left of it after all.

Multitudes of abandoned vehicles, merely twisted hulks of burnt-out metal, had blocked the entire length of road, human limbs, distinguishable amidst the rubble she passed, hanging loosely from the detached bodies buried beneath.

Grey eyes had shifted deliberately upwards, checking the skies.

Being spotted by one of those  _things_  had one consequence. A consequence she hadn't been willing to face.

Hesitant as she had been to continue, the prospect of food and water had driven all reason from her mind, pushing her onward, the mass of bodies thickening the further she did.

At last, after hours of walking and occasionally checking abandoned outlets to no avail, she looked to the steadily lightening skies, deciding it would be unwise to continue. Not until nightfall again, anyway.

Still a considerable distance from her refuge, it hadn't been long before she fearfully noted the slight trembling of the ground beneath her feet. The remaining glass panes still fixed within a nearby shop's structure rattling gently.

With haste, she had squeezed between the wooden boards nailed haphazardly into its walls, crouching within shadow, a wave of fear rippling throughout every fibre of her being as her eyes descended to the rubble dancing and shifting in the dirt at her feet.

With each passing second, the quaking had grown in intensity, the panes rattling so erratically, it seemed they were clinging to the very vestiges of their structure for dear life.

_Then the sound had come._

The familiar, terrifying hum.

The reverberating hum of a type of hybrid engine.  _An engine not of this world._

The ship had materialized quickly, gliding at ease above the devastation below as its colossal shadow immersed the remnants of the store gradually in darkness.

Eyes wide with fear alongside awe had roved over the underside of the passing vessel, studying the odd alien glyphs engraved into its surface, the strange fortified metal it appeared to be made of...

The scream of a jet engine overhead had served as first warning; followed by a beam of reverberating light and debris propelled throughout the building, the sensation of heat upon her jeans as the structure was ripped into jagged shreds.

There had been a sharp pain across her forearm—a stray piece of glass piercing clean through fabric, flesh, and muscle, and then the steady, unchecked spreading of liquid heat descending her arm, dribbling from her outstretched digits.

Everything was a vague blur thereafter. She could recall the screech of thrusters as the ship bore down upon her... the familiar clicks and whirrs as something nearby transformed... approaching, ground-trembling footsteps... the pounding of her heart in her ears as she had fled, descending rubble and fire at her heels...

Her memories were pushed aside once more as she became aware of erratic, snivelling gasps emanating from someone to her left. Another, on her right, sat motionless, staring blankly ahead. They gave the impression they no longer cared what fate awaited them. They were just willing to accept it.

Bloodshot eyes lifted from the scorched ground she had been forced to kneel upon for the past half hour, observing the metal Citadel some 900 feet above. It seemed, she thought bitterly, they had already constructed a substantial sized base for their operations.

Again, her eyes wandered, warily observing the being that stood rigidly before them. A towering purple-clad figure whose rectangular face was featureless, save for a single glowing orb within its centre.

She had gotten glimpses of their faces before. Having been on the run so long, it was inevitable. Humanoid in appearance, except for those awful glowing red eyes. Yet this one was different. She'd never seen one like this before.

A low, rumbling growl to her right made her flinch, said growl belonging to a large metal cat-like creature. It had approached shortly after their arrival. Circling them with an intense, unnerving gaze, the resulting fear they displayed only making it grow more agitated.

_It was no doubt there to prevent any opportunity of escape._

A voice, cold and calculating, spoke up suddenly from somewhere above her.

"Where the slag is he? It's been two joors already."

"Perhaps he will get his aft kicked again. Like the last time." Another voice, oily and cunning, answered in reply, followed by a derisive cackle. "You know him. He never learns. His pride and arrogance will always be his undoing."

A slight breeze whispered placidly over the dry landscape, encouraging shudders from the ragged clothed humans huddled below. The silence was unlike one she'd ever known.

This is where they had been rounded up, forced to await a fate unknown whilst flanked by six Decepticon troops—a term hardly new to her ears.

In the weeks before the conflict had engulfed the world as she knew it, the media had been overwhelmed with supposed terror attacks. One after another. Each worse than the last. Details, however, were always scarce, inevitably prompting people to start questioning what was really going on.

Everyone hurried from place to place. Only if absolutely necessary. With unnerved expressions and a reluctance to linger or chat with anyone. An unnerving, constant feeling of impending danger had coated the air everywhere, shops, bars, restaurants and children's playgrounds consequently remaining empty, most eventually closing up due to lack of business or use.

New York was the first to go down. The truth revealed at last as its inhabitants live streamed the initial attack.

In the footage, people could be heard screaming, sobbing, shouting for loved ones, covered in soot, blood, and debris as they fled, breathing erratically amongst the sounds of gunfire and explosions rocking the City overhead.

Jets had ripped through the skies, bullets raining down upon anything and everything in their path. Buildings blasted and crushed beneath the feet of the metal giants who had finally revealed themselves to the world.

The United States military proved unable to stop them, leading to similar attacks spreading to other Cities across the globe. Anyone left—few though they were—were forced to evacuate. Survivors knew to avoid Cities, instead keeping to the coast or countryside, hiding by day and traveling by night...

The Decepticons flanking them braced suddenly, their attention evidently drawn to something, or someone, now approaching.

Sure enough, the familiar sound of a jet engine tore through the skies, the humans instinctively huddling together in apprehension.

With a deafening roar, it shot over them, whipping up their hair in the process. Squinting with her good eye as it banked sharply, gliding in a lazy arc around the top-most spire of the Citadel, she could just make out its colour as a rich, dark red.

The sounds of shifting, contracting metal filled their ears as it descended with breath-taking speed, rapidly changing shape with its approach.

Abruptly cutting the power to its engines a few feet above, the newcomer free-fell, cracking the ground beneath its feet as it landed with an earth-trembling thud and stood to full, humanoid height.

Large wings now protruding either side of a broad, cockpit-adorned chest, the Decepticon briefly studied them in passing, a menacing scowl etched upon its face as it passed the faceless mech entirely and approached the nearby drones.

Unlike the dull silver of the latter, its armour was in fact comprised of a series of colours. Hues of white and grey stood out amongst the crimson of most of its body. Small segments—yellow in colour—breaking up the overall exterior seamlessly. Its large red wings bore a purple insignia upon them. _One she recognized all too well._

 

"Starscream. What took you?" The purple Decepticon rumbled in a voice monotonous and devoid of emotion as he stepped forward, making his presence known.

"That's  _Commander_  Starscream to you," the newcomer ground out, turning to look upon the other with a deepening scowl before adding curtly "and I had a slight delay."

"Megatron requested your presence a mega-cycle ago." The monoptic replied, undaunted by the jets attitude. "Our Master lacks patience. As you know." Clearly indifferent to this warning, the jet rolled his optics skyward, muttering something unheard under his breath.

"I'm more than capable of carrying out my duties, Shockwave." He stated smoothly, studying the tips of his digits in a rather girlish manner. "Promptly or otherwise."

The tension was palpable, and the humans gathered below looked between the two huge beings with growing uncertainty.

"Thundercracker and Skywarp failed to respond to my attempts of contact, resulting in me having to temporarily handle your  _collective_  duties." Shockwave continued, eliciting an annoyed growl from the other. "They accompanied you only this morning. Where are they?"

"Busy." The jet returned briskly with a careless wave of his hand, but before the perplexed Decepticon could question him any further, he turned his winged back on him, a slight, satisfied smirk in place as he addressed the drones.

"Is this all of them?" He demanded with folded arms, jerking his head in the direction of the gathered humans with no expressed regard for the beings in question.

"Yes, Commander." One replied, stepping forward from the others and offering a short, respectful bow.

With a curt nod to his subordinate, the jet approached the front-most section of the huddled group, those of which immediately shrank back as he retrieved a strange device from within the casing of his forearm.

Sneering with satisfaction at their display of fear, he raised the device parallel to the first of the group, a young woman, who proceeded to cling to a man alongside her in uncertainty as a beam of green light emitted from its sensor, passing through her before vanishing promptly.

Typing something into the device, he proceeded to carry out the same procedure on the man alongside her. A voice, this one new to her ears and of human origin spoke up quietly from nearby.

"It's him. The one plastered all over the news when New York went down."

"W-Who is he?" A second voice, hushed and strained, stammered in response.

"Not sure exactly..." The other whispered uncertainly, "but rumour has it, he's lieutenant to the head honcho who runs this shit show."

"And... have you ever seen  _him_?"

"No. But I fear we soon will be..." The other mumbled before drawing a sharp breath and adding, "Shh. He's coming."

Sure enough, the ground beneath her trembled once more, her peripheral catching sight of huge, metal-plated feet pausing nearby. They appeared to be comprised of jet thrusters, the large cylinders serving as heels of sorts. Had the situation been different, she would have permitted herself to be intrigued.

_Her turn came._

Perhaps it was mere curiosity that prompted her to do it, for she'd never seen a so-called  _Seeker_  up close before, only from the skies, so it was without pause that she found her head lifting as he stood before her, blood running cold as her gaze met one of hard, blood-red contempt.

His sneer faltered. A moment of apparent surprise at such a display.

_Newcomers had never been so brazen as to look him directly in the eye before... No matter. A mere cycle here and she would soon be cowering at his feet like the other parasites of her pathetic kind._

Sniffing dismissively as she resumed her subservient position, lank, dark hair obscuring her pale face, he resumed his prior expression, punching in the unknown data and stepping away to her right, not offering her so much as a second glance.

Releasing a breath she didn't even realize she had been holding in to begin with, her posture slackened, her hands unclenching and coming to rest loosely within her lap.

A long moment—one among many—passed in silence. The one known as Shockwave had thankfully departed at some unknown point. The metal cat that had been circling them earlier now sat within the deserted entryway, watching the jet intently.

For perhaps the first time since being captured and rounded up with them, she studied the faces of those around her.

Did she recognize anyone here?

_No. No one._

The majority of those she'd known had died in the initial attack.

Day after day—after a night of keeping her phone off to conserve battery—she had attempted to contact those on her call list.

Most lines were simply dead. Some just rang off.

She had finally received contact from two others though. Around the third day in. Messages assuring her they were safe. Her phone had died shortly after.

She could only assume that they still were. Holed up somewhere. Hopefully with family... friends. Perhaps in one of those refugee bunkers deep underground that she had heard passing rumours about. A place that couldn't be detected, nor reached, by the Decepticons...

Returning the device to his forearm, a panel concealing it in one smooth motion, the jet turned on his heel, motioning to the drones with a sharp snap of his fingers.

"Bring them."


	3. Inevitable Fate

They were surrounded by darkness. The purplish hue cast from the overhead lights insufficient and useless.

As before, they were flanked by Decepticon troops, all of whom were stood rigidly, their attention focused ahead. They seemed to have been unnerved from the moment they had entered this secluded part of the Citadel. Simply darkness, as though some unknown horror lurked here.

It didn't take long to find out what.

With bone-trembling footsteps, a huge, imposing figure entered the chamber from an immense doorway to their right, flagged closely by the one known as Starscream.

Settling themselves upon a throne-like chair before them, Starscream paused nearby, arms folded, flaming red eyes studying them in the darkness.

A voice, one of cold authority and most formidable and intimidating she'd ever heard rang out. One that had undoubtedly listened to please of mercy, and more likely than not, granted none.

"You will address me as Lord Megatron. Your new and superior ruler." The seated Decepticon stated, glaring down expectantly at all those succumbing to terror—a terror that shook their bodies beyond control.

Few could muster the courage to look upon this intimidating creature. Most eyes remained lowered; limbs pressed together in a vain attempt to suppress their obvious fear. Those few bold enough to steal a glance were struck with instantaneous dread and awe.

He possessed a face that would haunt the most resolute of beings. With thin lips, drawn back, twisted into a cruel, disregarding sneer and a blood-red gaze that bore little more than abhorrence for humankind.

"Yes, today begins a new order. Your cities have fallen, and countless have been slain. You stand upon the brink of the apocalypse. Yet, I offer you a choice." The words were carried on nothing more than a hiss, his eyes ever upon them, cold and degrading.

"Bow before me. Offer your servitude to our cause, and I assure you, your freedom shall be granted as reward." With an array of shuffling limbs, the majority of those present immediately fell forward, Starscream looking at the display before him with a satisfied smirk.

"Ah, there it is," Megatron uttered derisively, "See, Starscream? This is the unspoken truth of humanity." He motioned lazily to the bedraggled humans below, a cruel smile curling his lips. "They were a species created to be ruled. To serve those greater than themselves." Then, he turned his attention to those that remained upright, his expression relinquishing to a loathsome sneer.

"As for those of you that resist me, clearly you have decided upon your fate." The statement hung amidst the heavy, dreadful silence that followed as he perused each of them in turn, the majority avoiding meeting his eye.

"Eradicate them."

A bout of cackling laughter rippled throughout the troops as they advanced, readying their weapons. But most prominent of all was the cries of the innocent, voicing their protest, disbelief, and horror as they were dragged forward from the others and forced to their knees.

"Please, please! I made a mistake! I swear!" A man was wailing shrilly, throwing himself to the ground in an attempt to demonstrate submission.

"You're in no position to ask for mercy, insect." One addressed earlier as Longhaul spat scathingly. Wrenched forward, he was forced to his knees and engulfed by a blast of blue light, blood rapidly soaking his front where a large, smoking hole now gaped.

The room was filled with a chorus of horror. A torrent of ear-ringing blasts amongst the shrieks and frantic scuffling of those desperately seeking escape before meeting the same, inevitable end. Others, who knew attempting escape was futile, had thrown themselves upon the ground in a vain attempt to shield themselves. Megatron, all the while, observed the scene with cold indifference.

Twenty—perhaps thirty seconds later—deafening silence reigned once more, blood from scattered corpses coating the ground, glistening thickly within the faint light.

"Let this serve as a lesson to those of you that remain." Megatron stated in a calm, chilling tone, observing each and every human numbed with horror in turn, "dare defy me, and you too, will meet the same end."

* * *

A still, chilling air pierced her skin, raising the numerous hairs on her now exposed arms. The cell was vast and cold. Every surface merely polished steel and concrete, pale and discomforting, illuminated by the faint glow of the force field enclosing it.

A large flat metal slab jutting from the wall was all that occupied the room, its purpose unknown to her.

She had been here for what she could guess to be a day or so now. She hadn't seen a soul. Human nor Decepticon.

Long silent moments stretched onward as she huddled in a far corner, time's slow passage prompting her to imagine escape, only to have every fantasy fall to the bitterness of reality.

All hope had long since abandoned this dreadful place. And it was now, in a fleeting moment of despair, that she accepted the fact she would most likely die within these cold, empty walls.

A sound. One shrill in pitch suddenly rang out, shattering her reverie and making her jolt in fright.

_An alarm... but for what?_

The force-field enclosing her withdrew, followed by the sounds of movement echoing throughout the corridor beyond, the sharp, expectant commands of the one known as Barricade following thereafter.

Uncertain, she rose, moving on cautious feet toward the now exposed exit, watching as her fellow captives emerged from their cells and ambled towards the police car braced at the far end of the corridor.

"I would hurry if I were you," a red-headed woman with a heavily dirt-streaked face whispered in passing, "he doesn't take too kindly to dawdling."

* * *

Life became fairly repetitive after a handful of days. The alarm would sound, Barricade making an unwelcome appearance shortly after.

From there, they would be split into groups. The first of which were tasked with seeking out and harvesting any potential resources that could in turn be converted into  _Energon_.

Those that possessed decent mechanical skills were stationed permanently within the main hall. Required to fix up smaller mechs or Decepticon apparatus that had been damaged during use.

The remaining fugitives were also located here. Tasked with dismantling vast piles of various man-made objects in order to retrieve any materials deemed useful.

Objects that had, at some point, served purpose and meaning to the lives of the very beings made to destroy them. But it was preferable to the tedious, exhausting days spent digging in the mines.

Being surrounded by so much familiarity of a life she once knew was somewhat comforting, as well as disheartening, given the eventual fate of said objects and cruel irony that they were forbidden to keep anything. Even if it  _was_  deemed worthless in the Decepticon's eyes.

Of course, she had disobeyed such an order. Smiling to herself as she recollected the small stash of books hidden within the shadows of her cell.

Books, so far, had served as her only escape from the horror of this newfound reality. Only once she was certain she was alone did she retrieve one, huddle within the dim light provided by the cell forcefield and allow herself to become lost in the words scrawled upon their yellowed pages.

On occasion, Starscream had strode into the hall, flagged by two others that looked almost identical—save for differing colours—before barking orders at a rather surly Barricade or demanding a progress report. She had wondered then just how many Starscream's there were. As if one wasn't bad enough.

The humans had cringed whenever he appeared, keeping their heads bowed and eyes low, attempting to look busy. He only ever glared at them in departure, wings held high, typical, disapproving sneer in place.

This was where she had also become familiar with the being known as Soundwave. A mech whom stood silent and immobile the majority of time, only speaking on occasion to address his two minions currently scurrying back and forth nearby.

Standing at approximately six feet tall, they had been given the task of hauling off the ever-growing piles of materials deemed expendable. One wearing a scowl of disdain, whilst his counterpart, she noted with mild interest, possessed a rather more placid demeanour.

A sudden hush fell over the room, a shuffling sound heard coming from the adjacent corridor. Barricade appeared in the doorway moments later, flanked by a small group of newcomers who cowered within his huge shadow. Faces pale and emaciated, their blood-shot eyes flicked anxiously across the vast room, taking in their new surroundings.

"Step forward when instructed to." The scout commanded, retrieving a datapad from within the casing of his forearm. Moments passed in silence as the new arrivals were processed, scurrying over to join those seated nearby before quickly being shown what they needed to do.

Returning her attention downward, her fingers continued to work quickly at the semi-dismantled stereo sat within her lap.

Stray pieces of jagged metal snagged at her skin occasionally as she pulled clumps of wiring apart, retrieving zener rectifiers, voltage suppression diodes and a handful of resistors with ease—a skill assuredly owed to her past experience with these types of things.

Barricade's malevolent voice rang out suddenly, echoing through the hall, making the collective humans flinch.

"Step forward human, or else!" Discreetly, she looked up, attempting to pinpoint the source of all the commotion. To the far left of the huddle, she noticed a young girl, who couldn't be no older than ten, clutching a tattered teddy bear as she attempted to hide by squeezing herself into the throng of people braced behind her.

A reassuring hand was placed on her shoulder, something unheard whispered into her ear as she was gently goaded forwards, but she refused to budge, bursting into tears and burying her face into her teddy bear.

Barricade lost patience, extending a huge hand in order to grab her—and no doubt, kill her—but not before a voice, shrill and panicked, rang out.

"Hey, stop!"

For an awful, suspended moment that weighed silently upon the room, she couldn't comprehend that the exclamation had come from her. But, with all eyes currently fixed on her in horror, the reality that it had, slowly, excruciatingly, sank in.

Legs moving of their own accord, she braced herself before the small girl, concern alongside adrenaline prompting her to look defiantly upon the towering mech. Barricade appeared momentarily stunned. That didn't last long.

"What did you say, parasite?" Blood-red eyes narrowed upon her pale face, his mouth twisting into a sneer. She sought courage, but with those inhuman eyes upon her, it suddenly felt impossible.

"I-I said," she finally croaked, voice trembling pathetically with returning fear and uncertainty, " _stop_."

_This was it. She was going to die. And what had she really achieved? Nothing. She was insignificant. Powerless. A mere insect to him._

Barricade cackled, the sound vibrating through the soles of her boots.  _It was laughable! A puny human standing up to a twenty-foot, murderous alien robot!_

Bracing herself for the inevitable blow that would certainly follow, she sucked in a deep, quivering breath, but not before a familiar, rasped voice rang out sharply. One that, despite the situation, still managed to make her blood run cold.

"What's going on here?"

Trembling, she glanced through the gap between Barricade's arm and torso, stomach lurching unpleasantly as she took in not  _one_ , but  _three_  Seekers approaching.

Starscream halted his towering form unnervingly alongside them, arms folded as he studied the much smaller Barricade questioningly.

His blue counterpart looked impassive, jaw tense. The purple one, however, wore a derisive grin as he looked between the two, clearly anticipating what was about to transpire.

"The puny flesh bags proving too much for you, Barricade?" Starscream asked with an mocking sneer, raising a single optic ridge at the police car. The purple jet sniggered, prompting the scout to throw him a sharp glare.

"Of course not." Barricade growled before motioning irately to the female below him, "This one merely stepped out of line." He sneered before adding with a grating chuckle, "Trying to defend another insignificant sack of flesh."

Even from where she was stood far below, she felt the heat of Starscream's gaze upon her. Despite the situation, she found her eyes darting upwards, finding him studying her rather intently. But, with Barricade's next words, the Seekers' attention was thankfully snatched away.

"I was about to handle it, before you and your brothers swaggered in here."

The blue Seeker inclined his head a fraction at the abrasiveness coating the scout's words, the purple 'con looking to Starscream with an indignant scowl.

"Watch yourself, Barricade." The dangerous tone with which Starscream replied had the police car immediately readdressing his own.

"Apologies, Sir. It's just that they don't typically step out of line so  _soon_." The police car spat in her direction, making her flinch. "What do you propose?"

Fighting the bile that had risen to her throat, she gulped, for she knew the underlying implication of such a question. Perhaps the child did too, for she felt her shift behind her, a hand reaching up to cling tightly to her sleeve.

When it came to the Seeker, things were typically unpredictable. At least Barricade got it over with quickly...

"Can I play with her, Screamer?" The purple jet suddenly interjected, turning a hopeful expression the Air Commander's way. "I haven't had any fun with one in orns."

_She didn't like the sound of that..._

"No, Skywarp. They aren't playthings." Starscream huffed with irritation, much to her relief. This encouraged a disappointed pout from the other. "And stop calling me that." He added with gritted denta and a sidelong glance at his trinemate.

"Shall I kill her, then?" The purple one continued eagerly to her horror, the hum of his null ray filling the air. Starscream's loathsome sneer returned then, his calculating gaze sweeping downward, studying her again.

"First, let's hear what the organic has to say, shall we?"

An uncomfortable jolt resonated through her nerves, her ears filled with a deafening static as she took in the curious, anxious stares of those around her, then the hard, expectant gazes of the gathered Decepticons above.

_Was this a test? Would she be killed regardless? Be made an example of? Or, was it simply an opportunity to mock her?_

Swallowing, she attempted to speak, but her tongue seems almost paralyzed. Swallowing again, with some difficulty, she finally manages to, albeit quietly.

"She... she's just a kid." She stammered, twisting her fingers behind her back with growing anxiety, "she's just scared. As we  _all_  are. But that doesn't warrant killing her in cold blood." Starscream laughed sardonically, looking to the others.

_The asshole was enjoying this! Watching her squirm... cringing and cowering at his feet..._

"If I may," the blue one spoke up, his deep, rumbling voice indubitably different to that of Starscream's raspy one, "I agree. I mean, all things considered, what would it really achieve?" He questioned, seemingly trying to dissuade them, "Other than yet another mess to clean up?"

Admittedly, she was a little taken aback by this Decepticon. He was unlike the others she'd come across so far. He seemed reasonable. He seemed...  _OK_?

The others, however, looked indifferent, and so, she braced herself, half expecting Starscream to abruptly—violently—settle the matter. But, true to his inconstant nature, he swatted the issue aside carelessly with a wave of his servo.

Taking no further notice of her, he reminded a rather irate Barricade of his outstanding progress report before pivoting on his thruster, wingmates in tow, and exiting the hall.

She realized then it had all just been one sick, twisted game to him. Cruelly dangling her life before her eyes. Keeping her guessing. Relishing her fear, her uncertainty... she didn't know what was worse. The rash violence of Barricade, or the unnerving unpredictability of the Seeker.

Carefully, warily, she guided the young girl by the hand toward a group of others nearby, and beneath the murderous glare of Barricade, attempted to usher her toward them. But, much to her frustration, she refused.

Reluctant to draw any further unwanted attention her way, she sighed, making toward her work area.

Instructing the girl to sit nearby, she resumed her task in silence, head bowed low, willing Barricade to lose interest and resume his own.

Thankfully, he did.


	4. Responsibility

"That little jerk tattled on us. I'm tellin' you, TC. It wasn't my fault he found out."

Taking another draught from his Energon cube, Thundercracker's demeanor bristled with agitation as he regarded his wingmate with a frown, lowering the container onto the table with an unnecessarily hard  _clank_.

"Rumble is well overdue a pummeling anyway." The purple and black mech continued. "Has ever since he busted into my quarters and started an earthquake the crack of dawn with those slagging piledrivers of his." Thundercracker sighed heavily, the more pressing issue at the forefront of his processor once more.

"Well, I dunno when you'll find the opportunity to dish out a much-deserved beating to the little slagger, seen as Megatron has doubled our shifts for the next deca-cycle as punishment."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Skywarp snapped irately, "I never learn when it comes to following your stupid ideas. I should know by now that you lack the functioning logic circuits." Thundercracker merely gave a rumbling chuckle in response.

"I miss the old days, before we were stuck on this mudball." Thundercracker stated quietly, averting his gaze from his brother's morose expression and staring thoughtfully into the luminous contents of his cube. "The tedious morning drills. Scream getting cranky because we couldn't keep up. Overloading and brawling in the dodgy bars of Axiom Nexus before staggering back for watch duty at dawn." He paused, looking upon his brother with a sly grin. One the other regarded with a knowing, arched optic ridge, "Skiving off and going to the pleasure domes in Vos—"

"—Yes, and returning with a rather unsavory femme on your arm on too often an occasion as well." A drawling voice suddenly cut in from behind them. Turning his immense, winged back, a smirk already in place at the familiar voice, Thundercracker was genuinely surprised to see the Air Commander standing there, arms folded as he regarded them petulantly.

Before invitation could be issued, the red Seeker made for the vacant seat, dropping heavily opposite his larger brother and forcing Skywarp to budge up with a scowl into the innermost corner before helping himself to a cube, digits of his free hand drumming obnoxiously upon the table top.

"Screamer, gracing us with his presence and having a drink for once." Commented Thundercracker happily, "Well, I never!"

Scowling at the use of his irksome nickname, Starscream chose to ignore the comment for the moment, instead taking a much-needed drought from his cube, for it had been a particularly long and tiresome cycle. Lowering it at last, his blood-red gaze bore into the other.

"Unlike some," he rasped pointedly, "I ensure the work I am required to undertake is actually completed before I decide to consume a questionable amount, overload, and crash a search ship into a quarry."

Raising his optic ridges in response, Thundercracker regarded his Trine leader with a rather sheepish look, shifting uncomfortably in his seat and glancing at Skywarp. Skywarp, however, merely obscured a smirk in the near-empty cube placed to his mouth plates as he pretended to drink. Starscream bore a sharp fang, expression one of smugness.

"Yes, I heard about your little...  _jaunt_." He rasped, inspecting the tips of his alloyed digits with mock interest. "Rumble did choose an opportune moment to tell all. The middle of a rather important meeting, actually. Megatron was most displeased."

If a response was intended to follow, it was swiftly interrupted by the adjacent doors to the Rec Room parting to reveal a particularly curvaceous femme, shades of silver streaked with pink materializing as she stepped further into the dimmed light.

Thoughts of past misdeeds and current predicaments were disregarded as not a moment was spared before Thundercracker was beckoning to her, already shifting slightly to better accommodate her as she deposited herself into his awaiting lap, giggling as she did so.

"Proxima." Skywarp acknowledged with a small nod of his helm, red gaze appreciative as it swept over her. Conceited grin in place, she nodded in greeting. The femme revelled in such attention after all.

Ignoring her presence, Starscream turned his attention back to his rear wingmate, as though the interruption had never occurred, audio sensors filled with soft, irritating giggling as Thundercracker continued to indulge her.

Though sat upon Thundercrackers lap, his large digits upon her thigh plates as he whispered sweet nothing's into her ear nodes, coveted glances were thrown consistently the Air Commanders way, except he was paying no mind, their unheard exchange opposite continuing without pause.

It was undoubtedly some sort of rebuking, for Skywarp had slouched lower into his seat as he stared ahead, arms folded at his brother's rather animated display of gritted denta, balled fists and disapproving gestures of his helm. It seemed Skywarp wasn't to escape a reprimand after all.

A lingering kiss placed to her cheek-plate stole her attention away once more, returning the act in kind with digits idly brushing a light touch across Thundercracker's chassis, a coy smirk in place as she did.

"So, TC," Skywarp intoned suddenly, Starscream's rebuking clearly over with, "What do you say to another couple rounds before our shift? Primus knows I'm gonna need it."

"Sure thing." Thundercracker replied, adjusting himself and sliding a large servo downward to dwarf Proxima's narrow hip-plate. "Perhaps," he rumbled in low tones, offering an approving glance at his companion first, "we can have a little fun, too. If you get my drift..."

Starscream rolled his optics skyward, looking suddenly rather bored, digits resuming their tapping upon the table top, other servo supporting his chin as he stared absently into the remaining contents of his cube.

It was no secret that his brothers occasionally shared the femme. However, Starscream hadn't partaken in such lowly acts since Vos. Besides, his numerous responsibilities hardly allowed him time to, even if he'd  _wanted_  to.

"What troubles ya, Scream?" Skywarp inquired, noticing his much larger lack of involvement. But the only response he received was Starscream draining his cube and rising swiftly, protests from his elder brother filling the air almost instantaneously.

"You're leaving already?" Thundercracker exclaimed, Proxima's sultry gaze rising to settle upon him with, if the Air Commander wasn't mistaken, disappointment, "But we're only jus' getting started!"

"Megatron has just commed me to arrange another meeting and I had best prepare." Starscream replied shortly, making to leave, but not before slender digits made contact with the sensitive paneling of his cockpit, fingers splaying wide at its base. Proxima had abandoned Thundercracker's lap, leaning into him lightly, blocking his path.

"Oh, yes. Do stay." She purred, full, red lips inches from his own. "I promise it will be worth your already,  _limited_  time."

Sparing her a sharp, glowering look, one which had her expression faltering, he readjusted himself, her hand falling away from where it was placed as he made to pass her, paying no heed to the disappointed pout she now wore.

After all, the demand of his responsibilities was constant. Part and parcel of being Second-in-Command. Something he had grown accustomed to many, many vorns ago.

* * *

"Piece of advice kid, stay away. OK? For your own good. Bad stuff happens to anyone that sticks with me."

"What do you mean?" The young blonde inquired, absentmindedly stroking her bear as she watched the older girl struggle to lift a particularly bulky rock.

Pausing, the older girl huffed out a sigh of frustration, wiping the perspiration that had collected on her brow. Straightening, she turned to face the little girl, something passing behind her gaze as she offered a tired, half-hearted smile.

"Have you seen anyone here that you know? Anyone that can look after you. Keep you safe?"

" _You_  keep me safe." The blonde replied as if it was the most simple answer in the world, her eyes downcast as she began prying bits of dirt out from between the once white plush toys fur.

Propping her tool against the nearby rubble with a soft sigh, the older girl approached her, kneeling so that they were level before taking her free hand gently in her own.

"Ashly, look," the older girl paused, biting her lip, a clear indication she was searching for the right words, "I know you trust me... and I know this is a scary place, but..." She paused uncertainly again, looking at her feet, "I'm not—"

"—Teegan..." The girl suddenly whimpered, the colour steadily draining from her face as something in the distance caught her attention.

Yet, before Teegan could even turn to inspect the source of the little girl's terror, her answer was provided for her almost immediately when she heard a voice in the distance.  _His voice._  Rasped, cold and sharp. Discreetly, she glanced over her shoulder.

Sure enough, there  _he_  was. Speaking with Blackout. Arms rigidly positioned behind his winged back as he perused today's activity.

"Come, quickly." She beckoned to the young blonde, placing a spare tool that was much too large for her into her small hand. "Just do as I showed you before. Remember? Just follow my lead and try to look busy. OK?"

Ashly nodded, tucking her bear hurriedly under her arm and following suit of the older girl, her hand trembling so much, she thought the tool might slip from her grasp at any moment.

Since arriving into her care, she had refused to leave her side, and the oldest of the two had been forced to work extra hard in order to make it appear the child was pulling her weight. She suspected she wouldn't last too long if it was discovered she wasn't.  _Especially_  when Starscream was around...

* * *

"Any problems?" Starscream demanded, glaring at the helicopter expectantly.

"All is well." Blackout replied shortly with a brief nod, retrieving his datapad and scrolling through his logs in order to select the report Starscream desired.

 _Indeed, everything was going well._  Starscream credited himself with assurance.  _His recent meeting with Megatron included._

Stripping planets of their resources had proven not only time-consuming in the past, but energy-consuming, too. Yet, they now had an asset they'd never had before. An abundance of inhabitants native to this mudball that could seek out and harvest it all for them.

 _Besides_ , _why should they carry out all the dirty work when there were far more important matters to attend to? They had countless meat bags at their disposal. When he had first arrived on Earth, he had been disgusted at just how overrun the planet was with the irksome creatures. Who knew they could eventually prove more useful than simple cannon fodder?_

Just then, Blackout said something that abruptly drew him from his thoughts.

"What?" The Seeker snapped, tearing his gaze away from the proffered datapad he had been scrutinizing and studying the helicopter with a scowl.

"I said," Blackout repeated, striving to conceal the note of annoyance in his voice, "that one has been complaining about food for the sparkling."

Starscream inclined his head in the direction Blackout had just his, quirking an optic ridge when he was met with a familiar sight in the distance. It was the human. The same one who had stepped out of line two earth weeks prior in the main hall. She hadn't dared again since, and he'd suspected she had finally had the sense to keep quiet and keep her head down.

_Evidently not._

"Let her complain," Starscream growled disinterestedly, tearing his gaze away from the two humans in the distance and returning it back to the datapad "If the sparkling expires, there are countless others out there at our disposal."

"Her frequent protests have encouraged others to start following suit." Blackout stated pointedly. Starscream paused again, his optics narrowing, mouth drawn into a thin line as his full attention was finally gained.

"If left unchecked, we may have an uprising on our hands, and as much as I hate to be deprived of a good old slaughter fest," Blackout stated somewhat morosely, "killing so many of them only forces us to waste more energy having to search out more. This lot would equate to at least a dozen trips, and I can't be bothered with the processor ache of it all."

"It's your job, is it not? Starscream snapped, a dangerous sneer tugging at his lips.

"Well, yes, Sir..." Blackout stuttered, "but don't you think it's a waste of energy spent refueling the ships for a mere handful of humans at a time? They're becoming increasingly harder to find... my guess is they've found better places in which to hide..."

"Kill the human then," Starscream snapped, completely dismissing Blackout's question with a wave of his free servo as he returned his attention to the datapad once more. "Or both. I don't care."

"These meat bags don't take the slaying of sparklings too well. Do  _you_  want to explain to Megatron why the majority of sector five has been damaged due to a rebellion? Because I don't. Been there, done that, remember?"

Cycling air in the form of a huff, the Seeker growled in frustration, passing the datapad back to Blackout.

"Have that report filed by the time I get back!" The Seeker spat over his winged shoulder at a fumbling Blackout. Saluting, Blackout watched as the large Seeker stalked towards the distant humans, those of which appeared to have already seen him coming...

* * *

 _Blackout was being ridiculous!_ _Starscream had quickly learned that an occasional threat, a little intimidation, and maybe a weapon drawn here and there sufficed when keeping these pathetic creatures in line._ _Killing them_ — _those who'd pledged allegiance to the cause that is,_ — _was typically a last resort. For they had, as irritating as they were, proven to be fairly valuable assets so far. If this human thought she could make demands here, she was very much mistaken._

"Teegan, I'm scared..." The young girl whispered, clutching at her desperately as the winged figure approached, the ground beginning to tremble with his encroaching footsteps.

 _Great. Why on earth was **he**  coming over? What had she done?... _Desperately, her mind whirled, thinking over what she might, or possibly might not have done, to piss him off...

"It will be OK. Calm down," Teegan replied in a strained whisper as she hauled another heavy rock onto the transport shuttle. "He won't hurt us."  _I hope._

Starscream's looming shadow engulfed them as he halted his approach, eyes almost slits as he studied them. The youngest of the two fearfully shrank out of sight behind the taller girl. His gaze bore into the older human then, lingering for a moment before he finally spoke.

"You require more food?"

Teegan straightened, dusting off her hands, striving to keep her expression as neutral as possible—though Starscream noted her futile effort with mild satisfaction. How her eyes avoided lingering on him for too long, how she swallowed nervously, the sweat that was beginning to coat her palms... and the display sent a thrum of cruel satisfaction through his circuitry.  _Pathetic sacks of flesh. So easy to read._

"For the child, yes." She stated, forcing her voice to remain steady, for her eyes to find his, "It isn't nearly enough for her."

He shifted his hard stare to the young human who had stolen a peek up at him while Teegan had been speaking, and it was with a nervous squeal that she hid again. His expression changed to one of indifference.

"What makes you think I care?" It pleased him immensely when she visibly flinched, the detached expression she had been desperately trying to maintain submitting to one of mingled disappointment and hopelessness.

Yes, he could have gotten it over with quickly, threatened her, the sparkling, it didn't matter which, but he relished a chance at making these humans cower merely with his imposing presence.  _Especially_  if they tried to put on a pitiful facade of bravery...

Teegan sucked in a deep, trembling breath.  _He wasn't going to be of any help. She was foolish to even consider such a notion in the first place. If he wanted to be a dick, so be it, but she wouldn't back down yet, not without being heard first._

"Considering it's what we humans require in order to work efficiently," She stated, striving to keep her voice as even and neutral as possible, "I think you should."

"If what's provided isn't sufficient," the tone with which he spoke was cold, low, "perhaps her usefulness has run its course?"

Teegan fell silent, the implication of the Seekers words weighing heavily within the silence that followed. Starscream sneered with satisfaction.  _That's all it usually took after all. A few choice words and they fell in line, meek and pitiful like the spineless vermin they were. Blackout never was good with manipulation or threats, not like himself. The helicopter was more of a shoot first, threaten later, kind of mech._

"I suggest you stop complaining and do what's expected of you." The Seeker stated, eyes smouldering dangerously. "You're in no position to be making demands around here, human. Continue to step out of line," He paused, a smirk suddenly spreading across his lips as he directed his gaze to the null ray affixed to his arm, that of which was currently whirring to life, power ominously building within its core. "Well, we wouldn't want a demonstration now, would we?"

Quietly, and begrudgingly, she answered him, lowering her gaze from his fearsome stare to her feet.

"No, we wouldn't."


	5. Defiance

Starscream was sat at his allocated console in the control room, Skywarp to his left, Thundercracker to his right. Soundwave was in the far corner, rigid and immobile save for his digits flying rapidly across the keys of his own console as he input data.

Skywarp was swinging back and forth precariously on his swivel chair, humming obnoxiously. Finding himself yet again distracted by his brothers antics, Thundercracker sighed, rubbing his chin before leaning back in his chair to glance at Skywarp with a cocked optic ridge.

"What?" The purple con inquired with mock innocence as he continued swinging.

"Can you not sit still for one nano-klick?" Thundercracker asked, exasperated. He found himself marveling at how Starscream could so effortlessly ignore the younger Seeker's antics. Perhaps he'd finally grown weary of scolding him. It never did have much of an affect anyway.

"No." Skywarp quipped back, "Besides, I'm tired of being stuck in here, doing this boring data stuff. I'm itching to go for a good hard flight."

"It's part of the job I'm afraid, Warp, so best get on with it." The blue Seeker replied, resuming his typing with a sigh. "The sooner you finish, the sooner you can stretch your wings."

Groaning, Skywarp ceased his swinging, servo supporting his chin as he stared disinterestedly at his screen again. With Starscream's hatred of confined spaces and Skywarp's inability to sit still for more than a nano-klick, it was a miracle the eldest Seeker hadn't gone insane by now.

Skywarp inevitably grew bored again, this time swiveling his chair to look at his Air Commander. Only the subtle quirk of Starscream's optic ridge suggested he had caught the action from his peripheral and was therefore aware he was to be next on the receiving end of his brother's attentions.

"Have you been eating enough, Scream? You're looking rather thin." To reinforce his point, the purple Seeker proceeded to jab a digit into Starscream's jutting hip plate.

Moving away from his prodding fingers with a scowl, Starscream chose to ignore the comment, praying to Primus his wing mate would find something else to fix his short attention span on before he resorted to delivering a swift smack to the back of his helm.

As if Primus had answered his prayers, the adjacent doors whooshed open, Rumble and Frenzy barreling in noisily, punching each other. Starscream inclined his head, grimacing when he saw it was them and immediately returning his attention to the schedule he was in the process of organizing.

Skywarp swiveled his chair in a slow overdramatic manner to face the two casseticons with a glare. They ceased punching each other then, Rumble puffing out his chest and poking his metal tongue out at Skywarp in passing, Frenzy fidgeting as he glanced up at the leering Seeker nervously.

"You're gonna pay for grassing us up you little grease stain." Skywarp hissed as Thundercracker shook his helm exasperatedly at his console.

"We'll see about that, flyboy." Rumble hissed back. Scowling, Skywarp aimed a kick at the back of Rumbles legs, but wise to his antics, the casseticon skipped over to his master before the Seeker's large foot could make contact, Frenzy hurrying after him.

Soundwave didn't offer any form of acknowledgment when his two casseticons approached him, his focus all for the data he was inputting as Rumble boosted Frenzy up onto the high console, the latter reaching down and pulling his brother up to join him. Proceeding to sit and open their subspaces, they each retrieved a small cube of energon, legs swinging back and forth off the edge of the high surface as they drank alongside their master.

Lowering his cube, Rumble grinned smugly at Skywarp who was still glaring daggers at him. When it came to Soundwave's irritating minions, Skywarp knew better than to do anything directly in front of him. He'd already learned that the hard way.

 _Primus, how he itched to get his hands around the little slaggers throat!_  But he would just have to settle for irritating him for now.  _But how...?_  His processor whirred in thought, smirking then as he remembered the piece of space rock in his subspace.

Checking Starscream's attentions were elsewhere, he deftly retrieved it, and placing it between thumb and forefinger, took aim, flicking it at the drinking casseticon. The projectile pinged off Rumble's hand, the small mech jerking his cube of energon in shock, the liquid splashing all over him as a result.

Skywarp collapsed into helpless, silent giggles, on the verge of short-circuiting when he caught a glimpse of Rumble's petulant glare. Starscream ceased typing, looking suspiciously at the casseticons then to Skywarp who had resumed typing with an uncharacteristically determined expression. Sighing, the red Seeker resumed his work, Skywarp immediately throwing a satisfied grin over his shoulder at a smouldering Rumble.

"So Scream, how did everything go with the latest shipment?" Skywarp asked, striving to bite back any further laughter. Without glancing away from the screen, Starscream replied shortly, never wavering in his typing.

"Megatron did his usual grandiose speech." The response was clipped, laced with loathing. "I have not seen him since. Doesn't want to get his servos dirty I suppose."

Skywarp offered a sound of acknowledgment as he began swinging back and forth in his chair again. He and Thundercracker were all too familiar with Starscream's long-suppressed loathing of their leader, and at times, they had found they couldn't blame him for feeling as such.

"Speak of the devil." Starscream muttered, the corner of his lip curling into a sneer. Skywarp paused, glancing at his brothers vid screen to see what he was referring to, and sure enough, an incoming call was flagging up from their leader.

Rearranging his features into a rigid smile, Starscream curtly pressed accept, the silver visage of his leader instantaneously filling the screen. It took considerable effort for Starscream to bite back his prior sneer at the mere sight of him.

"Ah, Starscream," Megatron stated smoothly, Lazerbeak just visible as he perched upon his forearm, "I need you and your wing brothers to investigate a signal Lazerbeak intercepted a mega-cycle ago."

"And whereabouts was this signal detected, my Lord?" Starscream asked silkily, rigid smile unwavering as Skywarp sidled over and pushed his helm into frame, waving animatedly at the Warlord.

"I have already pinged over the coordinates,' Megatron replied, ignoring Skywarp with an ease owed to a millennia of dealing with his antics, "I expect you all to leave immediately." With that, Megatron cut the feed.

Starscream's expression instantaneously melted into a scowl, his wing struts bristling with agitation as he decided he would take his sweet time filing his unfinished schedule. His brothers, however, seemed to accept the task more readily.

"Finally." Skywarp declared, rising from his seat and practically bouncing past a disgruntled Thundercracker to the door.

" _I_  will just log you off then, shall I?" Thundercracker grumbled as Skywarp swiftly backtracked to pat his wing strut in thanks with a grin. Shaking his head, the blue Seeker took his time to close down any active programs and sign off on his console before moving on to Skywarp's to do the same.

Pausing at the door as Starscream rose, cracking his knuckles, Skywarp proceeded to offer Rumble an earth custom he had picked up in the form of a middle finger. Grinning as the two casseticons exchanged confused glances, he laughed at Rumble's hurtled insult before de materializing out of sight.

"I hope you get slagged, you weird afthole!"

* * *

"But you need to eat, too." Ashly pointed out with an adorable look of concern and mingled disproval. Had she been feeling more herself, Teegan might have taken the time to laugh at such a display.

"Look, you're a growing girl, so you need it more. So please..." Teegan slouched against the transport shuttle, breathless, exhausted and numb and with effort, finished her sentence, "Please, just eat it. OK?"

"OK." The younger girl conceded quietly, eyes downcast as she bit guiltily into the proffered rations. As she chewed on the tasteless grain-like substance hungrily, she watched as Teegan squeezed her eyes closed in a frustrated attempt to clear her blurred vision for the umpteenth time that day.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, sweety. I'm... fine." Teegan reassured her, voice strained with the exertion of trying to sit up straighter, "Just a little dizzy. That's all. I'll be OK after some rest." But Ashly had long-stopped chewing, and Teegan noted tears beginning to brim within her bright blue eyes.

"No. Don't lie!" The little girl cried, stamping her foot, "I'm going to wake up and you'll be gone! You're going to disappear and leave me alone forever, aren't you?" She was almost wailing now, and it took considerable effort for Teegan to drop to her knees and grip her shoulders reassuringly.

"Ashly, what on earth would make you say...?" Breathless, Teegan studied her imploringly, "Please, listen to me, I'm OK. I won't leave you. I swear."

"Do you..." The young girl sniffed, wiping a trail of snot onto the hem of her dirtied yellow sun dress, her small face streaked white where tears had tracked through the grime clinging to her skin, "promise?" Wiping a strand of blonde hair streaked with dirt from between her lips and tucking it behind her ear, Teegan embraced her into a hug.

"I promise."

* * *

"Well, that was a waste of time." Growled Thundercracker, "I'm going to shoot that blasted bird."

"You're tellin' me." Skywarp replied, "who knew, after all that, it would be a primitive device left in an abandoned human camp!" He guffawed, "But at least it got us outta admin duty and out for a decent flight!" With that, the purple Seeker proceeded to do a double barrel roll, nearly knocking Thundercracker off course.

"Watch it, you glitch!" Thundecracker shouted, but Skywarp was already barreling off ahead, his complaint falling on death ears.

Starscream was in a particularly sour mood. He hadn't spoken much on the return flight to base. He was too busy seething.  _As if he didn't have enough to do. That fool had sent them on a pointless errand that had wasted time he could have otherwise spent dedicating elsewhere._   _Megatron was a fool. A never ending pain in his aft!_

"Scream," Thundercracker questioned, dipping lower to fly alongside him, "You OK?"

"I will be once Iv'e had some high grade." The Seeker snapped. "I hope to Primus I don't have to see  _his_  face when we reach the base. It's the last thing I want to see right now."

Thundercracker could have pointed out that it was in fact Lazerbeak's mistake and not so much Megatron's that consequently found them flying empty-handed and exhausted back to base, but he knew better. It was never a good idea to question his stubborn Trine leader— _especially_  when he was in a bad mood.

"You want  _me_  to comm him and explain it was a dead end?" Thundercracker helpfully offered. "It's been a while since we reported in."

"Yes, go ahead." Starscream agreed with a growl. With that, he put on a spurt of speed, flying off ahead.

"Whoa, hey!" Skywarp cried as Starscream shot past him out of nowhere, a single white contrail in his wake as he skillfully dodged the erratically flying Seeker and vanished from sight.

* * *

Being the superior flier of the two, it wasn't long before Starscream landed, strolling toward the boundary with an awful snarl on his lips. His fellow Seekers landed some time later, finding their Commander in the midst of a conversation with Blackout, the slaves ambling past them, retiring for the night.

Starscream was itching to shoot something. His optics were afire, his digits drumming upon folded arms as he listened with impatience to Blackout's report.

"You want us to wait for ya, Scream?" Skywarp asked as he and Thundercracker approached.

"No. Go ahead. I will catch up." Starscream replied, his tone clipped as he waved a servo dismissively. As Blackout muttered on about percentages, input vs output, and the factors that affected the aforementioned, Starscream watched like a hawk as countless humans shuffled by, quickening their pace as they passed where he was stood in particular.

Waving away the helicopters words impatiently, Starscream changed the subject, the thought of his berth and some high grade calling to him. The quicker he could get this over with, the quicker he could relax.

"Are all humans accounted for?"

"Y-Yes, Sir," Blackout stuttered, "myself and Barricade are escorting them all to the holding cells now."

"Have they had their daily sustenance?" Starscream snapped then, his mouth a thin line as he studied the few remaining humans pushing at each other to get into the distant Citadel entrance.

"Yes, four klicks ago exactly." Blackout informed him, and it was with that that Starscream waved him away, the latter offering a quick bow before stalking off toward the now empty doorway up ahead.

Pinching his brow, Starscream sighed harshly, turning to follow on in the direction his brothers had gone before his scanners picked up on something.

Something faint but most definitely there.

Optics slits, he turned, scanning the surrounding boundary carefully but finding nothing of notice. But Starscream had never been one to dismiss his intuitions. That's why he held such a coveted position within the Decepticon ranks after all.

Activating his infrared, he scanned the boundary again, this time, his optics picking out two solid red shapes in the far distance. Solid red shapes of human origin. One smaller than the other, both huddled behind a stationary transport shuttle.

Fury pricked at his circuits, the joints of his wings groaning as they hitched with said fury.  _Did they really think it was as easy as that to escape? Well... where Blackout was concerned, perhaps it was... He was seriously beginning to question the level of competence of his crew._   _Was Blackout incapable of carrying out the simplest of tasks? Was it really so difficult to round up a bunch of meat sacks!?_

Starscream considered the fleeting notion of comming his soldier and severely berating him, but, after a beat, decided against it. He needed an outlet for his pre-existing fury after all, and this served as the perfect opportunity...

* * *

'T-Teegan... someone's coming!" Ashly stuttered as she desperately tugged at her, "We need to hurry... I think everyone else has already gone."

Opening her eyes and squinting around her, with difficulty, Teegan rose onto trembling legs, the exertion making her dizzy again, but before she could even take a single step, the shuttle she had been leaning against groaned as it was violently pushed aside, rubble cascading over its edge and narrowly missing Ashly who had taken several terrified steps backward.

There was a flash of red as two glowing eyes fixed upon them, a cruel mouth twisted into a furious snarl as the little remaining sunlight was blocked out by large soaring wings above them.

 _Starscream..._ That was her only coherent terrified thought before he aimed his charged up null-ray at them.

"You." He snarled, making her cringe, "You just can't seem to keep yourself out of trouble, can you human?" Trembling, Teegan craned her neck with difficulty, looking up at him, dark hair falling across her face as she reeled with the effort of trying to remain upright.

Starscream seemed not to have noticed. He was too busy glaring at the sparkling who now had lubricant leaking from her eyes as she desperately squeezed the pathetic toy she carried around.

"You really thought escaping would be that easy?" He demanded, fangs bared as he returned his attention to Teegan once more. "Do you know what the punishment for attempted escape is human? He didn't wait for her to answer, already taking aim at the smaller girl and readying to fire with a sadistic sneer. "Let me show you."

"I wasn't trying to escape!" Teegan cried, the last word coming out croaked with the combined effort it took to shout up at him and take frantic unsteady steps toward the sparkling. Collapsing to the ground, Teegan's arms reached up and pulled her downward, cradling her in a pathetic attempt to shield her.

Lowering his null-ray slightly, the Seeker realized then that something wasn't right with the human. Running a quick scan—to sate his curiosity more than anything—his suspicions were confirmed when his internal feed displayed multiple malfunctions in the femme. He only bothered to observe those flagged up in red.

_Detected malfunction(s): Exhaustion /: Insufficient nutrition /: severe Dehydration._

"Your output isn't sufficient enough, human." He hissed, sneering down at her. Teegan visibly drew in a deep, trembling breath, her pale face rigid with something unidentifiable as she met his eye, speaking quietly.

"Perhaps that's due to the fact I haven't had a decent sized meal in over four days."

"You have more than enough sustenance. You receive it daily." Starscream snapped dismissively.

"Considering how you so politely declined my request," she croaked, swallowing in an attempt to clear her throat of dryness as she bowed her head again, "Iv'e had no choice but to give mine to her," with an indication of her head, she motioned to the trembling sparkling, "so yes, I'm exhausted."

"Perhaps I should just dispose of you now then." He growled, studying her coldly. But in the next breath, he put his finger on his chin in mock thought, "Or," He added at length, making her glance upwards warily, "perhaps I should just simply dispose of the sparkling? Then we'll see if you actually prove yourself efficient enough without anymore unnecessary distractions."

Starscream watched then as the human gritted her teeth with a newfound determination and forced herself to stagger upright before placing a reassuring arm around the sparkling and slowly making to walk past him. His audio sensors picked up on soft, breathless whimpers coming from the sparkling as they passed by, the older human gently rubbing her back in an attempt of comfort.

She stumbled once, twice, but carried on, mouth a thin line of determination. She could feel his gaze burning into her. Teegan had no idea of his intentions, but she didn't dare look back.

"Come on, Ash, calm down," She soothed quietly once she felt they were at a safe enough distance, "If he wanted to kill us he'd of done it already," Grimacing as her legs briefly protested again, she breathlessly added, "he's all talk and no ball-bearings."

"What was  _that_?"

Teegan froze, unconstrained horror spreading from her very core, thrumming throughout every last nerve she possessed as Ashly twisted her tear-stained face toward Starscream then back to Teegan in terror.

_How the heck did he hear that...!?_

Foregoing the distance between them with a ground-trembling ferocity that made them recoil with uncertainty, he glared down at her far below him. He was a vision from hell. Unbridled fury distorting his features.

"Go on, spit it out." He hissed. When she didn't reply, he raised his arm without hesitation, unleashing his firepower.

The blast had her diving with a shriek, pushing Ashly aside as it impacted the ground with a sizzling crack. Ashly stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground, her face frozen with fear.

Groaning, Teegan slowly rolled upright, glancing at the nearby child to see if she was OK before downward with a pained grimace at the source of a searing pain now blossoming across her left hand. A large blotch of jagged, angry red where the skin was now absent stretched around her thumb to her forefinger, weeping profusely.

Cradling her hand, she raised her head, eyes afire though filled with pained tears as she glared up at him in silence.

"Seems you have much to say, human!" He snarled, the smoke from his weapon dissipating as he rounded upon her menacingly. "Perhaps you'll be less inclined to open your mouth after you've endured what I have in store for you?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I may be absent for a brief time (work stuff) so to make up for that, I will give you guys a snippet of what's to come. The juicier aspects of this story are drawing closer! I don't plan on having Ashly as a constant character always at Teegan's side. Both will soon be gaining their independence of each other, but we will check in briefly with Ashly here and there.
> 
> Once that happens, the story will solely focus on adventures between Screamer and Teegan with plenty of ups and down in between. A lot more with Teegan, Frenzy, Rumble, TC and Warp also to come. Gosh, setting up a story takes a while. I hope how I've done it is decent? I can't wait to get onto her and Scream bonding and becoming eventual allies. :)


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